Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua take Rams to new level to beat Patriots

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) eludes New England Patriots cornerback Marco Wilson (22) after a catch.

Staff Writer

Nov. 17, 2024 3:46 PM PT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.

Those are the hands the Rams need.

The tandem accounted for three touchdowns in Sunday’s 28-22 victory at New England, reliably reeling in the pinpoint passes of Matthew Stafford.

But the two buddies have a slightly different way of going about their business. Kupp, true to his central Washington roots, has the gritty grip of a farmhand.

“You’ve got to have some callouses to you,” he said. “It’s all about the handshake.”

Nacua, meanwhile, babies his hands. He routinely gets a manicure and a glossy white polish applied to his fingernails.

“I get my feet done as well. They cut off all the dead skin and stuff like that,” he said. “I get it once a week. Try to be consistent so they don’t get too bad. As a wide receiver, these are my moneymakers so I’ve got to take care of them.”

Whatever works. And Sunday, that combo did the trick for the Rams. Nacua led all receivers with seven catches, including a diving Superman grab for a 12-yard touchdown. He sacrificed his body on the play and needed several moments to recapture his breath before slowly making his way to the sideline, where he was briefly checked in the blue medical tent.

Kupp caught six passes, among them touchdowns of five and 69 yards. The latter was the team’s longest offensive play of the season and came on a zero blitz, meaning the Patriots sent more pass rushers in lieu of keeping a safety back to help in coverage.

As they have so often, Stafford and Kupp took full advantage of the opportunity. They had a mind meld before the snap, Kupp adjusted his route and Stafford put it in his hands. Second play of the second half, touchdown. Eleven-point lead. Gillette Stadium silenced.

“I put it to a good spot and he did the rest,” Stafford said.

The Rams made the most of their relatively few opportunities. They ran 51 plays compared with 70 by the Patriots, and held the ball for 15 fewer minutes than the home team. Then again, Nacua scored on a one-play drive and Kupp on a two-play drive, so they were quick-strike artists.

What does all this mean? It’s still hard to draw a bead on this team. The Rams started 1-4, and since have gone 4-1. Yet, we don’t yet know if they truly flipped a U-turn. They came into Sunday fresh off an upset loss to Miami the Monday before.

Good teams win the games they’re supposed to win. The Rams should have beaten the three-win Patriots, and they did. But they also should have beaten the Dolphins, who had two wins at the time. Now the Rams are 5-5 with three division games remaining, and crucial NFC West wins over San Francisco and Seattle in their pocket. They still have a strong pulse.

Rams receiver Cooper Kupp (10) scores on a five-yard pass

A huge test comes Sunday night at SoFi Stadium against Philadelphia, with the Eagles riding a six-game winning streak.

“We’ve got a super-hot team coming into town,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “This is what you love. It’s a great challenge.”

It’s clear the Rams are a different team with a healthy Kupp and Nacua on the other end of Stafford’s passes. The team found ways to win some games with Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and tight end Colby Parkinson as the main targets, and those players have done a respectable job, but Kupp and Nacua elevate the offense from semi-dependable to dangerous.

Nacua is in his second season. Kupp has been in the league since 2017 and doesn’t mind needling his buddy a bit, especially about the hands.

Before Sunday’s game, when the temperature was 59 degrees at kickoff, Nacua told Kupp he might go in and get some hand warmers.

“I was like, ‘Hey, you might need a reset,’” Kupp said, smiling. “I said, ‘Go back in the locker room and come back out here with the right mindset.’ … You take care of your hands, but you don’t need to be doing all that stuff. Just make sure everything is working properly.”

Nacua concedes he’s gotten increasingly particular about doing everything he can to maximize his performance. That includes after the game donning a pair of rose-tinted sunglasses that block blue light.

“They help me fall asleep,” Nacua said, “and we’re getting ready to fly home. They’re part of my nighttime routine.”

Before zipping up his bag, he dug out a pair of the glasses for Kupp, who promptly put them on.

After all, for all the Rams, their world should look a little rosier after Sunday.